Designing SoTL Studies for Out-of-Class Learning: Learning as a Process over Time

Written by Erin Mikulec, SoTL Scholar-Mentor, Associate Professor (Teaching & Learning), and Interim Director of the English Language Institute at Illinois State University Out-of-class learning offers many opportunities to examine student learning outcomes as the result of participation in various activities, ranging from student organizations, study abroad experiences, field-based or service learning projects associated with...

Give students hints on the exam…but not for free!

Written by: Jerry Schnepp, Ph.D., Department of Visual Communication Technology at Bowling Green State University I would like to share with you some details on  a project that allowed students to barter points for hints on an assessment. Here's how point bartering works in an assessment context: If a student does not know the answer...

Supporting the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning

Written by Kathleen McKinney, Cross Endowed Chair in SoTL, Illinois State University Are you a faculty developer or faculty member charged with encouraging and supporting the scholarship of teaching and learning on your campus? Are you a staff member or faculty member of a disciplinary association trying to encourage and support quality SoTL work in...

Students Learning Research Skills Outside of Class: Benefits of Working on Research Teams

Written by: Phyllis McCluskey-Titus and Anne McDowell, Illinois State University (Department of Educational Administration and Foundations) Dr. McCluskey-Titus and her student, Anne McDowell describe a SoTL study to track student learning as a result of out-of-class research experiences: Introduction to the research study This SoTL grant-funded study was undertaken to understand what type of learning...

Using Think Alouds to Collect Data for Your SoTL Study

Written by Sarah M. Ginsberg, Ed.D., Professor at Eastern Michigan University A common thread that runs through various cross-disciplinary SOTL research is the concerted effort made to understand what the accomplished professional is thinking when she solves a work problem so that we can use that knowledge as teachers to better prepare future professionals. That...

Does ISU’s Psychology Curriculum Create Science-Savvy Citizens?

Written by Emilio J. C. Lobato, Corinne Zimmerman, and Thomas Critchfield from the Department of Psychology at Illinois State University Our SoTL project was funded by the office of the Cross Chair in SoTL at ISU to examine ISU students’ involvement in SoTL scholarship or creative work. This topic seemed particularly relevant to our psychology...

Beyond the Psychological and Individualistic in SoTL Research

By Kathleen McKinney, Cross Endowed Chair in SoTL, Illinois State University As a sociological social psychologist, I believe in (from theoretical perspectives) and know (from research data) the importance of demographic/sub-cultural, interpersonal, and situational factors in human behavior. This is not to say that individual traits or states and individual behaviors are irrelevant; they play...

Common Practical Problems in SoTL Research Design

Written by Jennifer Friberg, SoTL Scholar-Mentor at Illinois State University Recently, I was reading through a book titled Doing the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning: Measuring Systemic Changes to Teaching and Improvements in Learning (Regan A. R. Gurung and Janie H. Wilson, editors). In this text, Robert Bartsch authored a chapter focused on the practicality...

Advice for New SoTL Researchers

Written by Jennifer Friberg, SoTL Scholar-Mentor at Illinois State University Perhaps it’s due to the timing of a new academic year getting underway, but I have been asked several times lately for advice to help new SoTL researchers get their first SoTL projects up and running. In response to these requests, I’ve constructed this list...

Become a Social Change Agent for SoTL

Written by Kathleen McKinney, Cross Endowed Chair in SoTL, Illinois State University In the many workshops and keynotes on SoTL that I have given over the years at many institutions and conferences, participants always express complaints about the insufficient value, reward, use, and support of SoTL. And though we talk about the many reasons why...